TV Review: Arrow: Season 2: “Broken Dolls”

“Broken Dolls” was probably one of the creepiest episodes of “Arrow” so far, but one thing I didn’t really get about it was why does the Dollmaker pour the substance into his victim’s mouth? I don’t really understand how the stuff he uses works that way, I think they could’ve came up with a better way to utilize how the substance works. Other than that, I don’t have any negative things to say about this episode.

What I did love about this episode was the fact that we finally learned something interesting about Officer Lance during the five years Oliver was on the island & while Sara was presumed dead. Officer Lance fell into “The Dollmaker” case & it lead him down this sort of dark path because he felt like it was his fault The Dollmaker’s victims list kept growing. Adding to that the Police Commissioner strictly telling Lance to stay off the case, because he knew it was too close to him was just more icing on the cake for the main story of this episode. Michael Eklund, (Barton Mathis/The Dollmaker), does a great job in this role. He’s a fantastic Canadian actor that really gets into the role that he plays, which just proves that the casting department of “Arrow” does a great job at what they do. This is a character I wouldn’t mind seeing back on the show, even though he is dead. Maybe we could get an episode that takes place in Starling City during the five years Oliver was on the island.

The entrance of Black Canary in this episode was amazing. Her fighting style is completely different from Oliver’s, they were both trained to kill, but the man himself, the leader of The League of Assassin’s, one Ra’s Al Ghul, didn’t train Oliver!! Now THAT is one big name drop for this show; I wonder if they will actually show Ra’s in the series at all, if they do I’m sure they’ll cast the right person for the role. The utilization of a “realistic Canary Cry” was definitely something that is much appreciated; I was really pleased with how the executed that. I figured it would be something in the form of a tech device as they aren’t exactly at the “superpower” stage yet in the show, but that will change when Barry Allen is introduced in the show.

Speaking of Allen & superpowers, I have one theory as to how they might give Barry his speed ability on the show. The first couple episodes of this season, if you pay attention to news broadcasts, they’ll mention “Particle Accelerator”; perhaps that is how Barry will get his speed power? It is realistic in a sense, and it does make sense to go that route. If they do go that route, I would be a bit disappointed because that might mean he won’t tap into the Speed Force, but who knows, the guys behind this show likely have thought of something, I’m sure they won’t disappoint, as they haven’t yet!

The flashbacks to the island were very small scenes. All I want to know is: What the hell happened to Slade & what happened to Shado?! Did she escape the plane when it was being bombed? Did she get captured too? Is Slade’s face halfway burnt off, or is it just his hands?! So many questions, so little time for them to be answered & then to have more questions. I did love the little name drop at the end when they zoomed out & the boat Oliver was on is called “Amazo.” DC Fans know that is a super villain from the comics, created by one Professor Ivo, who will appear later in this season. All in all, this was a great episode, & as usual it has me wanting more.